PACE INTENDS TO HELP OSCE MG RATHER THAN SUBSTITUTE FOR IT

YEREVAN, JANUARY 27. ARMINFO. “We are not going to substitute or OSCE
Minsk Group we just wanted to help the o-chairs,” PACE rapporteur on
Nagorny Karabakh David Atkinson says in an interview to BBC.

The over 10 year wrk of MG has yielded no results. PACE’s objective is
to bring about some parliamentary aspect in the confict settlement and
to enhance the role of the conflicting parties’ parliaments in the
process. This may give new settlement ideas. “After the adoption of
the resolution we are expecting the Azeri government to start
contacting Nagorny Karabakh representatives and discussing mutual
problems with them,” says Atkinson noting that these discussions may
be held in Strasbourg too.

In 1994-1995 when Atkinson was the chairman of the PACE committee for
CE non members he organized such a meeting in Strasbourg and all the
parties to the conflict were there. Unfortunately the meeting brought
no results. “But I think that the recent initiatives will be
fruitful.” The CE can make its own contribution to the peace process
but this is not substitution for MG. The major reason for no result in
the past years was the lack of contacts between the Azeri authorities
and Nagorny Karabakh representatives.

The CE’s initiative is expected to generate contacts that may lead to
the conflict settlement.

Asked if he was pressured by the Armenian or Azeri sides while
drafting his report on Nagorny Karabakh Atkinson says that he has his
own idea of the problem and his goals coincided with the opinions of
both Armenian and Azeri delegations.
From: Baghdasarian